Simple Things
by reniRCx
Summary: "Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was." A brief encounter between Remus and Lily, non-romantic, set during the first war.


**A/N: I've never posted HP fic before, but Lord knows how much I have saved in hidden folders on my computer, rotting on lined paper in my desk, and saved to my email. This is more about the characters involved (Remus and Lily) than anything else, please focus on their words and interaction. Hope you enjoy! **

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><p>Remus ran through the forest, wind and branches whipping at his face, stumbling over roots and undergrowth until his feet were on fire. He didn't dare use his wand to light the way, and to use a cloaking spell, he would have to stop, which he couldn't afford.<p>

They were still pursuing him from somewhere behind, but it seemed like every flickering shadow in the twilight was another Death Eater, ready to jump out, hex and recapture Remus.

He ran until he could hardly hear his pursuers behind him, likely well off track by now- he had taken a complex route, and tracking would be difficult in such a messy place. He collapsed behind a tree, wincing and hyperventilating.

As soon as his racing heart had calmed some, he took his wand in a shaking hand and Apparated to the only place he could think of.

As soon as he arrived at Godric's Hollow, he was on one knee in the middle of the street, closing his eyes to make his head stop spinning. Gingerly, he stood and made his way to the Potter s' familiar door.

Lily answered, her long, lustrous hair held back by a clip, wearing comfortable Muggle clothes, her pregnancy just beginning to show. "Remus!" she exclaimed, all but pushing him inside. "I've been so worried. James and Sirius are off on some mission of their own now, they don't even know that you missed your deadline."

"It's good to see you too," Remus said, giving a slight smile at Lily's nervous chatter. "I was…captured, I can't think of the politically correct word. But I'm fine, everything's fine," he added at Lily's curious and then horrified looks.

"Why don't you sit down, I'll make some tea," Lily said, transitioning smoothly from friend to hostess. "Have you checked in with the Order yet?"

"No, I was hoping that I could send an owl from here," Remus admitted. "I just…my own home isn't safe now, and, well, I would rather be here than headquarters."

Lily came over from the Muggle stove where water was heating and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll send Fletch in the morning- he was delivering letters all day, he's exhausted. And you know you're always welcome to come here."

"Thank you," Remus replied politely. Lily handed him a mug of hot cocoa and Remus smiled at her thoughtfulness. She sat on the couch next to him with her own mug of tea, placing a platter of pastries and biscuits before them.

Remus helped himself to some Muggle pastry and settled back into the Potters' couch. "So what exactly are James and Sirius off doing?" he asked. His mission had had him out of contact with everyone for nearly three weeks, and he hadn't talked to Lily at all in the two months before that, since she had been ordered to stay out of most Order business because of her pregnancy and the danger.

"The Order calls it recon, they're idiots and prefer to call it spying," Lily said. "There was word that the Death Eaters were building something just south of Manchester. Sirius offered to check it out, and James wouldn't let him go alone."

"Any word on when they'll be back?" he asked, scalding his tongue on the cocoa.

"Not exactly, they've been flooing Dumbledore every couple of days," she replied. "But that's quite enough on them, they're fine. Now, what happened to you?"

Remus felt his hands tighten on the mug. "I was posing as a Muggle journalist to judge the security of their northernmost base. If they didn't believe that I would find anything important, they would let me meddle for as long as I liked. If there was sensitive material there that they would go to any lengths to protect, they would try to capture or kill me, not thinking that I could defend myself."

"So there was sensitive material?" Lily interjected.

"Essentially, yes," Remus replied, choosing to save her the burden of knowing the truth, the fact that the mission had yielded insufficient information for too long and the full moon had come around while he was still undercover. Remus had stupidly gone to his own house, which was nearby and had protection. The Death Eaters had captured him there, and then it had come down to keeping them from learning his name or affiliation with the Order.

"But what happened? You're shaking," Lily observed, placing a palm on his shoulder in comfort. Remus shrugged it off and slid the sleeve of his already tattered robe off to show her a meticulous row of short, bright red scars near his collarbone.

Lily's hand went to her mouth. "The Cruciatus? Merlin, Remus."

"It's okay, I'm-" _fine, _Remus started to say.

"Stop it. Just stop it," Lily interrupted. "Who was it? The Order can-"

"The Order can do nothing, Lily," Remus said, with a hard edge to his voice that softened once he got to her name. "If a Death Eater involved in this is assassinated, then they'll know that the werewolf is a member of the Order. After that, it won't take them too long to figure it out, and either they'll be able to tail me until they find the Order, or I'll have to leave and have no contact with you. I can't risk any of that, Lily," he pleaded.

"But Dumbledore-" she tried to argue.

"I am telling you this in confidence, as a friend, Lily. Dumbledore is a good man, a great man, but sometimes he does things that I don't personally believe are in the best interest of everyone involved."

"Like what?" Lily asked, clearly outraged at any criticism of Dumbledore. He had been good to all of them, through school and the war.

"Like allowing me to attend Hogwarts," Remus replied, smiling as though that would appease the bitterness evident in the statement. "It was the right decision, but it was a precarious one. And…in light of more recent events, I believe that telling him about this would force upon him a decision that he shouldn't have to make. They were only trying to get me to join them, and if I'm careful for awhile, they shouldn't remember my face."

Lily nodded, her kind nature and Remus's logic committing her. She reached up, fixing his robe to cover the scars. "I've been horrible. Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need anything else?"

"Some minor cuts and bruises, nothing I can't easily fix on my own," he replied. "And you've been wonderful, Lily. When I was walking up I was planning how I would apologize and explain myself to you, but I haven't had to. And thank you," he said, cupping one of her hands in both of his, "for everything."

Remus stood, already thinking of ways he could covertly access his own money to pay for a night in a wizarding inn somewhere. Lily stood up too, in reflex and, as he noticed, surprise.

"And just where do you think you're going?" she asked, grasping his elbow firmly.

"Hogsmeade, or perhaps the Leaky Cauldron," he replied. "It would probably be best if I waited until morning to contact the Order."

"You're actually trying to leave?" Lily's voice was chastising, yet gentle. "You're staying here tonight, and don't you dare argue, I decided that the second I opened the door."

Remus paused, fighting two conflicting urges. The first was to stay at the Potters' safe, homey house and possibly put Lily in further danger on the off chance that they had managed to track him. The other was to go back out, find a room that he could hopefully pay for, and ensure that Lily and the Order wouldn't be put in danger because of him.

The fiery, determined look in Lily's eyes decided it. He could risk one night. He had Apparated more than forty miles, and there were wards around the Potter's house. "Thank you for the invitation, and your hospitality," Remus said softly, turning to face Lily. "I…would love to stay the night, if it's no burden to you."

Lily responded by throwing her arms around him, settling her cheek against his shoulder. "Anything you want, Remus," she answered. "James and I have your back as much as you have ours, and if this is the only chance I'm going to get, then I'll bloody well take advantage of it."

Remus didn't reply this time, laying his head on hers in a gesture of agreement and contentment.

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><p><strong>AN: I would love to hear your opinions on the piece and the characters- I always thought it kind of fascinating that at this point in the story, they're barely a year out of high school and fighting a war. Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! **


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